Board of Directors 2019-20

President

Seth Weinreb is a hernia surgeon based at UNC-Rex Healthcare, where he also serves as Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO). He double majored in music and biochemistry while an undergraduate at Yale. Seth plays piano and various wind instruments, but concentrated on bassoon and orchestral conducting during his education and training. He is passionate about the PA and helping to provide the best musical opportunities possible for our children. When not caring for his patients, he enjoys spending as much time with his family as possible, which includes piano accompaniment for his daughters Noa (oboe) and Marni (bassoon), playing and coaching soccer, and eating Asian food whenever possible.

Past President

Steve Hodges is retired from IBM and parent of Philharmonic Association alumnus, oboist Emily Hodges. He serves several other local organizations including the NC Symphony, classical radio station WCPE and the Duke Homecare & Hospice Patient Family Advisory Council. An avid musician, he regularly plays piano for Transitions Lifecare, Duke Hospice, community singalongs, and occasionally at his church.

Vice President

Position Open

Secretary

Position Open

Treasurer

From 1977 to 1983, Luanne Roth was an orchestra director in Wake County Public Schools. She started the string orchestra program at a number of schools and grew the program to include the high school level in Garner. She is currently the youth string ensemble director at White Memorial Presbyterian Church and has been conducting and coaching for the Triangle Youth String Orchestra for the past six years. Mrs. Roth has been a violist with the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra, Raleigh Civic Symphony, South Bend Symphony, Kokomo Symphony, UNC Orchestra, and Louisville Youth Orchestra. She currently plays violin with the Triangle Community Orchestra and also as a fiddle player.

Philharmonic Association Artistic Director Emeritus

Hugh Partridge was asked to become the Triangle Youth Philharmonic Conductor in 1988, by the young musicians who founded the organization. He has led the Philharmonic Association as Artistic Director and TYP Conductor for over 30 years. Beginning in the 2019-20 season he will continue to serve on the Board of Directors as Artistic Director Emeritus. Hugh’s long career as a professional musician has included serving as the Principal Viola of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera and the North Carolina Symphony (1976 – 2006). He has served on the faculty of Butler University, Wichita State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2003, Hugh Partridge was the recipient of the Raleigh Medal of Arts in recognition of his “extraordinary achievement in the Arts”. In 2005 he was the recipient of the Maxine Swalin Outstanding Music Educator Award, presented by the North Carolina Symphony. In 2018 he received the Business Support of the Arts award in the Arts Education category by the Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.

At Large Directors

Kim Bentley is a Vocal Health Educator, Singer, Coach and Private Voice Teacher who is also an Executive Assistant at SAS. She serves on the Board of the Sunday Evening Concert Series at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in NYC, where she lived and performed for many years, and is the Vice-Chairman of the Board for the International Young Artists Project (IYAP).

Christin Danchi is a collaborative violinist with a passion for exploring connections between music and other disciplines. Her performance interests include solo, chamber, and orchestral works, as well as fiddle music and sacred collaborations in her church. Christin and her three siblings are proud alumni of the Philharmonic Association. She joined the Triangle Youth Symphony in 1999, later serving as Concertmaster of the Triangle Youth Philharmonic. The PA played a pivotal role in her decision to pursue studies in violin performance at UNC Chapel Hill and Carnegie Mellon University. Christin is currently the Annual Giving Coordinator for the North Carolina Symphony and an active freelance violinist. She previously worked at the North Carolina General Assembly, giving her a unique perspective on the relationship between state government and the arts. Christin is honored to serve on the board of the PA and grateful for the chance to give back to an organization that has touched her life for over 25 years.

Reginald DeMatteis is a retired NC State University Professor of Foreign Literatures and Languages. He is a cellist with Pro Musica Strings Orchestra and a coach of Chamber Music Pro Musica Orchestra. In addition to serving on the PA Board of Directors, Reginald DeMatteis is Chairman of the Board of International Ballet Company.

Joel Duquene is a SeniorSoftware Engineer at IBM and inventor with over 18 patents granted. He is a resident of North Carolina for 18 years and earned a M.S. Telecommunications from Pace University. He grew up in a family where music played a very important part of life. His Mother was school principal and introduced music classes as part of the curriculum. Many uncles were also music teachers. During Middle and High School, Joel played the French Horn, and later the Barytone for the town band, and the Tuba for the College band. He has one daughter who plays the piano and Viola, and was a member of the 2018-19 TYS orchestra.

Alice Ming-Yi Ju received her M.M.and B.M. in Violin Performance from the University of Maryland and M.A in Music Education from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Ms. Ju has performed with many ensembles including the Ars Nova, Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, Avanti Orchestra, Apollo Orchestra, Inscape Chamber Orchestra, and Annapolis Symphony Orchestra. In addition, she has soloed with the Raleigh and Durham Symphony Orchestras. As a passionate chamber musician, she has performed the Brahms and Dvorak Piano Quintets, and most recently Shostakovich and Beethoven String Quartets with faculty members at the Levine School of Music and has worked closely with the Guarneri String Quartet, Miami String Quartet and the Left Bank String Quartet. Prior to moving to back to the Triangle, Ms. Ju was the orchestra director at Farmington High School in Farmington Hills, MI, on faculty at the prestigious Levine School of Music in Washington DC, an Orchestra Director in Fairfax County Public Schools, a Violin Sectional Coach for Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras (working with Artistic Director Jonathan Carney) and Violin Instructor for Vienna Summer Strings while maintaining a private violin studio and freelancing in the Washington D.C. area. Ms. Ju is currently the Director of Orchestras at Green Hope High School in Cary, on faculty of the Maryland Classic Youth Orchestra Summer Strings Camp, and a Coach for the North Carolina Chamber Music Institute. Ms. Ju herself was a member of TYP from 1994-2001and enjoys giving back to the organization that played an integral part in her musical journey.

Kelli Partin was the Concertmaster for the Raleigh Youth Symphony Orchestra during Hugh Partridge’s entire tenure as Conductor. She is currently a violin teacher and active freelancer in the local community. Kelli is also on the Board of the Oakwood Waits and performs with them as a singer. She supports underprivileged youth by teaching Music Theatre at Community Music School of Raleigh.

Stephanie Petzold served as a public school orchestra teacher for ten years in Fairfax County. She is the mother of three young musicians, two of whom have participated in Philharmonic Association ensembles. She has served the organization as the Triangle Youth Symphony Ensemble Coordinator and photographer. She is also active in supporting the band programs at her children’s schools.

Stephanie Swisher is a local violin teacher who played in the Raleigh Youth Symphony Orchestra when Hugh Partridge was the conductor. For many years she was the Assistant Director for the Duke String School.

William Weisser retired in 2011 as Minister of Music at Edenton St. United Methodist Church in Raleigh, NC where he had been responsible for seven singing choirs, three handbell choirs, three dance ensembles and instrumental ensembles with over 460 participants for over 35+ years. He also worked as Conductor and Artistic Director of the Capital Area Chorale, as an adjunct assistant professor on the faculty of NC State University, as a faculty member of Louisburg College, and as the Interim Conductor of the Raleigh Oratorio Society. In addition to teaching and conducting, Dr. Weisser has published with Abingdon Press, released a CD of 20th century organ works titled “Music for A Sunday Afternoon” (available on Itunes; CDBaby.com; and Amazon.com), and performed on the organ with the Chicago Symphony and the North Carolina Symphony. During his time at Westminster Choir College where he studied Organ, Dr. Weisser was a member of the world-famous Westminster Choir which toured Puerto Rico. He went on to earn a Doctor of Humanities degree from Methodist College in May, 1997. Since retirement, Dr. Weisser has served as Interim Director of Music at Centenary UMC in New Bern, as the Interim Music Minister at First UMC in Rocky Mount, as the Interim Director of Music and Organist at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, and as Organist at Hayes Barton UMC in Raleigh, NC. He currently serves as Interim Minister of Music at St. Paul UMC in Goldsboro, NC.

The mission of the Philharmonic Association (PA) is to provide an opportunity for young musicians to learn, understand, and perform all genres of great classical and jazz music; to provide professional training to promote the students’ participation in and lifelong understanding and love of great classical and jazz music; and to increase family awareness and community interest in order to ensure continuing appreciation of, participation in, and financial support of these musical activities.